Blur to Debut Two Songs Via Twitter
Iconic Britpop group Blur haven't released an album since 2003's Think Tank, but the quartet, whose perpetual infighting and hiatuses have made as many headlines as their music, will be debuting two new songs on July 2 via a modern medium: Twitter.
"Under the Westway" and "The Puritan" will debut at 6:15 and 7:15 pm BST on July 2 on the band's official Twitter page. Having fully embraced social media, the group made the announcement via the below video, revealing that the band will livestream the songs from "somewhere in London on a rooftop." (It's been done, but we'll take it.) As your tech geek friend has probably already pointed out, this'll be the first time a band will premiere a song via Twitter.
In the video below, bassist Alex James notes that the tracks were written specifically for Blur's August 12 show at London's Hyde Park to close the London Olympics. "The Puritan," James said, will be a "big and bouncy, up-and-at-em singalong special," while "Under the Westway" is more akin to a "hymn."
"People all over the world are connecting with the musicians they love on Twitter," said Twitter's UK General Manager Tony Wang in what has to be the first time a Twitter GM has been quoted about a band. "Blur [are] taking this idea even further by debuting two new songs through a live stream and having a direct conversation with their fans on the platform. They know what their fans want and are setting the pace for the future of artist engagement online."
We'll let Techdirt and TechCrunch weigh in on the "technological implications and manifestations" of a band debuting music via Twitter. Let's just all rejoice that, after numerous flip-flopping on the band's future, Blur are back and creating new music and not trying to kick each other's ass.
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